


Ghosts of the Past (Draco Malfoy x Reader)

by DestielQueen5958



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Original Character(s), Original Female Character(s) - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-09
Updated: 2020-12-07
Packaged: 2021-03-09 04:34:03
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 11,588
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27464995
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DestielQueen5958/pseuds/DestielQueen5958
Summary: Katrina Aldergrey is a half blood wizard who has just been accepted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. She meets lots of new friends and a certain blonde haired Slytherin. during her time at Hogwarts, Kat will get into trouble, develop feelings for a close friend, and find out a shocking secret about her father.
Relationships: Draco Malfoy/Original Female Character(s)
Kudos: 3





	1. Backstory

My name is Katrina Aldergrey and I am a halfblood witch. My father was a wizard who fell in love with a muggle, my mother. Here's the catch. My father was a deatheater, one of the followers of probably the most evil and well known dark wizards to ever live., Voldemort. When Voldemort found out that one of his most devout followers betrayed everything that they stood for in the name of something as silly as love, he killed my father. For some reason, he allowed my mother to live. I think the only reason I was left alive is because Voldemort didn't know of my existence to begin with.  
I was only a few months old when my father was murdered, so the only things I know about him, I learnt from my mother. I always thought that the whole deatheater thing was just a dark story my mum made up to help me cope with not having a father. That is, until I received a letter shortly after my 11th birthday. It was hand delivered to our home by a professor from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry


	2. Diagon Alley

After Professor Mcgonagall had explained the magical world to my mother and I, she instructed us to go to a pub in London called The Leaky Cauldron. That's where we are headed now. Once we arrived at the old storefront on Charing Cross Road, I knew we were in the right place. My mother saw a rundown shop that all muggles saw, but I saw it for what it really was. A pub and inn with dimmed lights shining through the window. I led us inside and paused to look at the witches and wizards sitting at tables and in bar stools. Mum guided me towards the counter at the back of the pub where we asked for Tom the barman, as instructed by Professor Mcgonagall.  
Tom, a nice, older man, took us behind the bar to an enclosed space. There were three tall, solid brick walls around us, the fourth wall being the back of the pub behind us. There were a few wooden barrels and crates filled with bottles to one side of the space. Tom walked to the wall directly across from us and pulled out what appeared to be a simple wooden stick, which I assume is his wand. Tom tapped on the brick wall 5 times going clockwise, starting on the left side of the circle, just about eye level.  
I was a little surprised to see the bricks in that area started moving and rotating, creating a large opening the height of the wall. On the other side of the wall was an alley filled with shops and people. After making sure we knew what we needed and where we were going, Tom left us to return to the Leaky Cauldron.  
First Mum and I made our way down the hill of Diagon Alley to the Bank. It was a great white stone building to split the street in two. The building itself seemed both stable and unstable at the same time. It was three stories high and looked as if it was leaning in a different direction with each level. In between the first and second levels of the building, the name of the bank was embossed in gold. Gringotts Bank.  
Upon entering the bank, I saw a large open space with intricate designs on the tiled flooring. There were crystal chandeliers hanging from the high ceilings covered in cobwebs. The chandeliers came about halfway down from the ceiling but were still a few meters above my head. There were many marble columns along the entryway, between which sat lines of elevated desks on either side of the space, creating an aisle. At each desk, sat a well dressed goblin writing in legers of some kind. Mum and I followed that aisle down to an individual desk, just slightly higher up than the others in the room.   
We approached the goblin at that center desk and asked to make a withdrawal from my fault while pulling out the key that Professor Mcgonagall gave us.   
After getting what should be more than enough money to purchase everything I'd need for school, we exited the bank. Pulling out my list of needed supplies that was included in my Hogwarts letter, Mum and I made our way into the shops. The first shop we went to was Flourish and Blotts where we purchased all of my school books. Next we a standard sized cauldron, quills and parchment, and stopped at Madam Malkin's to have me fitted for my school robes. Lastly, I needed a wand.   
Mum and I parted ways in front of Olivander's as she wanted to do a little bit of exploring while we were here. I entered the dimly lit shop to see thousands of small, narrow boxes on the shelves lining the walls going all the way up to the ceiling. There was a single chair in the corner and a desk blocking off the back of the shop, where there were likely even more boxes. The shop appeared to be otherwise empty.  
"Hello?" I called quietly. Nothing. I tried again, louder this time.  
A rolling ladder moved along one of the shelves in the back of the shop. On the ladder, was a wizard with wild grey hair. I watched as he descended the ladder and made his way towards me, stopping only to pick one of the boxes from the stacks along the wall.  
"It seems only yesterday your father was in here buying his first wand" The man said as he approached me. He opened the box to reveal a wand. "Here we are," He said, handing the wand to me.  
I took the wand from his hand, not knowing what to do with it. I suppose my confusion showed as he said "Well, give it a wave" and I did just that. When I did, however, it caused many cases of files and transcripts to come flying off the shelves. A little startled by that, I gently set the wand on the desk, mumbling a "sorry."  
"Apparently not," the man said, slight amusement visible on his face. He glanced around a bit before putting his finger up, motioning for me to wait. He walked to another pile of boxes and pulled out a different wand, walking back to the desk where I stood.  
"Perhaps this," He said, handing me the new wand. I gave it a whirl, causing a vase sitting on a shelf to shatter. "Nope" that man said, not expecting that anymore than I did. "No. Definitely not. No Matter," he said before disappearing behind a shelf once more.  
I could just see him around the corner. I watched as he pulled another wand done from the stacks. He looked at the box in his hands with uncertainty. I heard him whisper "I wonder..." before disguising the look on his face and returning to the front of the shop hurriedly. He came around the desk to stand before me. Without a word, he handed the wand to me, having already taken it out of the box. I took it from him, and I immediately felt power surge within me. It was almost as if there was a fire lit from within, everything seemed brighter. The man seemed surprised and impressed, as well as something else. Worried maybe?  
I asked the man why he seemed so surprised. He explained to me that the wand in my hand had a core made of thestral hair. He noticed my confusion and told me that thestral hair core is very rare and very unstable. He said that it makes for an extremely hard to master wand and very few have ever mastered a wand with this particular core, which are even fewer in number.  
"The wand chooses the wizard, Miss Aldergrey, if not always clear why. But I think it clear that we can expect great things from you."  
That's when my mum entered the shop. "Have you found a wand, dear?" She asked me.  
"I think so," I answered her before turning back to the shopkeep, smiling and paying for the wand.


	3. Hogwarts Express

I was at King’s Cross Station now. Mum and I were having a bit of trouble looking for the right platform. Platform 9 3/4. Did such a thing even exist? We had made our way to the area between platforms 9 and 10. Mum decided to ask one of the workers who made us feel like complete idiots, saying there was no such platform. He walked away mumbling to himself about having multiple children asking the same ridiculous questions.  
Upon hearing this, I turned my head to find a boy about my age looking around very confusedly. I walked up to the boy, deciding to ask him if he might know where the mysterious platform was.  
“Excuse me,” I caught the boy’s attention. “Do you happen to know where Platform 9 3/4 is?” I asked very hopeful, Mum right behind me.  
“I’m afraid not,” the boy answered. “I’m having trouble finding it myself.”  
“Well maybe we can find it together?” I suggested. “I’m Katrina Aldergrey.” I introduced myself, holding my hand out for him to shake.  
“I’d like that very much.” The boy took my hand. “I’m Harry Potter”  
“It’s nice to meet you, Harry”  
“It’s the same every year. Packed with muggles, of course. Come on.” Harry and I looked at each other with hope in our eyes. We both recognised the term ’muggle’. Simultaneously, we turned our heads to find a rather large looking family, all with red hair. “Platform 9 3/4 this way.” We heard the mother say, leading the way, holding the hand of a young girl around our age with four boys trailing behind, all pushing trolleys of luggage like Harry and I were. Without a word, Harry and I decided to follow the family.  
“Alright, Percy.” The woman said. “You first” We watched as the oldest boy lined up his trolley with the wooden column between platforms 9 and 10. With a running start, The boy and his trolley went right through the wall. Harry and I looked at each other amazed before I also looked up at my mother.  
“Fred, you’re next.” The woman said.  
“He’s not Fred, I am,” said one of the two taller boys left. From where we were standing, they appeared to be twins.  
“Honestly, woman. You call yourself our mother.” The other one said, sounding just as disappointed as his brother.  
“Oh, I’m sorry George.” Their mother apologized before gesturing to the wall that the first boy had disappeared through.  
“I’m only joking,” said the second brother. “I am Fred.” Their mother made a face like they’ve done this bit many times before as both twins passed through the wall.  
“Excuse me!” Harry called, pushing his trolley up to the remaining family members, Mum and I following closely behind.  
“C-could you tell us how to--” I stuttered slightly, gesturing to where the three brothers had disappeared.  
“Get on to the platform?” The woman finished my question knowingly. “Yes, not to worry dears. It’s Ron’s first time to Hogwarts as well.” She gestured to the fourth and final brother, who gave us a smile. “Now, all you’ve got to do is walk straight at the wall between platforms 9 and 10. Best do it at a bit of a run if you’re nervous.” The girl standing by her mother’s side wished us luck before Harry moved into position.  
I heard my mother introducing herself behind me to the woman who kindly helped us while I watched Harry successfully run through the wall. I gave my mother one last goodbye before following Harry through the wall. What I saw on the other side amazed me as I stopped once I’d made through completely. I quickly moved a bit down the platform, remembering the other boy, Ron, still had to come through the wall as well.  
It was a completely secluded platform. On the tracks sat a long red and black train labeled ‘Hogwarts Express’. I made my way towards the end of the train where I dropped off my luggage, keeping only my small bag that held my school robes and some wizard money that I had left over from Diagon Alley.  
I made my way onto the train and realized I had no idea where Harry or Ron were. I was completely alone. I decided I would look for them once the train had left the station. For now, I looked for a compartment with not too many people inside and was lucky enough to find one completely empty. I set my bag in the overhead storage space after pulling out a book to read and got comfortable.  
I had just finished a chapter when I noticed someone poke their head into the compartment. It was a boy, about my age, with slicked back platinum blonde hair.  
“D’you mind? Everywhere else is full,” he asked me. I nodded before he entered the space, sitting directly opposite me. “I’m Malfoy. Draco Malfoy.” The boy stuck his hand out for me to shake, which I did.  
“I’m Aldergrey. Katrina Aldergey” I returned his greeting, laughing lightly and shook his hand before saying “It’s nice to meet you, Draco.”  
“Likewise,” He responded before smiling. He had a rather cute smile. “Aldergrey. That name sounds familiar. Are you from an old wizarding family?” Draco asked me.  
“I’m not really sure.” I told him truthfully. “Although my mother is a muggle, my father was a wizard. He died when I was still a baby, so I never really learned much about his family. Just what my mother was able to tell me.” He seemed slightly taken aback by this information. “What about you?” I tried to divert the attention away from myself.  
“Actually, both my parents come from long lines of great wizards.” Draco told me. “In fact, my father is one of the best wizards I know. Plus he’s a high ranking official in the Ministry of Magic.”  
“Really?” I asked. One could clearly tell Draco admired his father. “That’s really cool. He must be a great man.”  
“The best.” Draco looked very proud in that moment. “I’m gonna be just like him when I’m older.”  
We had been talking for quite some time when a girl with bushy brown hair came by our compartment. She looked as if she was looking for someone or something. “Has anyone seen a toad?” She asked us. “A boy names Neville’s lost one”  
“I’m sorry, we haven’t,” I responded while Draco merely shook his head.  
“Well, thanks anyway” the girl seemed disappointed before disappearing again.


	4. The Sorting Ceremony

It was dark when the train finally started to roll to a stop. Draco and I looked at each other in excitement, then at the two boys who had joined us half way through the journey. Their names were Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle. When they joined us, it seemed almost as if they were looking for Draco specifically. I assume it was just because they were looking for someone that they already knew. During the train ride, I had found out that Crabbe and Goyle already knew Draco because their fathers were all friends.

Once the train had finally stopped, we made our way to one of the exits. There were a few older students opening the doors and holding them while all the younger students exited the train. Draco climbed down first and turned, holding out his hand to help me down, Crabbe and Goyle following after us.

"Right then! First years, this way Please!" I turned my head towards the booming voice. "Come on now! First years, don't be shy. Come one now. Hurry up. Come on!" It was a large man with long hair and a bushy beard, about 10 or 11 feet tall, covered in animal skins and holding a lantern. The four of us, along with all the other first year students, walked towards the tall man.

"Right then. This way to the boats. Come on, follow me" The man instructed

He led us to a large lake. On the shore, there were dozens of small boats. Each little boat only held four or five people, so the four of us could stay together while floating across the lake. Draco and I sat in the front half while Crabbe and Goyle sat behind us. Draco and I held a pole, on the end of which, sat a paper lantern. Each boat had one of these lanterns. Draco and I were so excited, we had claimed one the first boats. We were right behind the half giant leading the way across the lake in his own little boat. I had learnt his name to be Hagrid.

I looked up in awe to see this gigantic castle sitting on a cliff. There were lights in nearly every window, in every tower.

We had gotten to shore and everyone had stepped out of their boats. Hagrid led us to the front doors of the castle. He gave us clear instructions on where to go once we got inside before he left us. We climbed a few sets of stairs before we saw an old woman in a dark emerald green robe and a hat with a single long feather standing in the middle of the landing. I immediately recognized her as Professor Mcgonagall.

"Welcome to Hogwarts." She greeted us. "Now, in a few moments, you will pass through these doors and join your classmates. But before you can take your seats, you must be sorted into your houses." Mcgonagall explained to us. "They are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Now, while you're here, your house will be like your family. Your triumph will earn you points, any rule breaking, and you will love points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points will be rewarded the house cup."

"Trevor!" I turned my head a bit to watch the boy who had cut off the professor. He was about my height with bucked teeth. I watched as he ran to the front of the crowd to pick up a toad that had been sitting right in front of the professor. I heard giggles scattered around me. The boy, who I assume is Neville, the boy who lost the toad on the train, looked up at the professor in fear before mumbling a quiet "Sorry."

"The sorting ceremony will begin momentarily." Mcgonagall finished before turning and disappearing through the door behind her.

"It's true, then." I heard Draco say, his arm resting on the banister behind me. "What they're saying on the train. Harry Potter has come to hogwarts" Everyone had turned their attention to Draco now. I heard gasps and people whispering the name Harry Potter in question.

I looked away from Draco to see Harry almost directly in front of us, Ron right next to him.

"This is Crabbe, Goyle" Draco had motioned to each boy with his head before motioning to me "And Aldergrey"

"Hi Harry" I greeted the boy, waving at him. He only smiled back.

"And I'm Malfoy. Draco Malfoy" Draco moved forward to stand in front of Harry, introducing himself just as he had done to me, only in a much snobbier way.

I heard Ron snigger at Draco's name. Draco snapped his head in the direction of the red haired boy. "Think my name is funny, do you?" Draco asked, clearly upset. "No need to ask your name. Red hair and hand me down robes? You must be a Weasley." Draco turned his attention back to Harry. "You'll soon find out that some wizarding families are better than others, Potter. You don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there." draco stuck his hand out at Harry

"I think I can tell the wrong sort for myself, thanks" Harry declined.

I had pulled Draco back with a questioning look before I saw Mcgonagall reappear with a sour look on her face. "We're ready for you now. Follow me." She instructed to the lot before leading us through the magically opening large double doors that she had disappeared through earlier.

Behind the doors was a very long room. There was a wide aisle down the centre of the room with two sets of long tables on either side. There were hundreds of floating candles above our heads. I looked up as Mcgonagall led us down the centre aisle to see the night sky. At certain angles, I could see the rafters, telling me the sky must have been some sort of enchantment.

Professor Mcgonagall led us to the front of the room, where there was a sort of stage. She had stepped onto the stage and stood next to an old looking pointed hat that sat upon a wooden stool. Behind the professor was another long table going perpendicular to the other four tables where the students sat. At this table sat what I assumed to be more professors. At one end of the table, I recognized hagrid.

"Now, before we begin, Professor Dumblebore would like to say a few words." Mcgonagall said before stepping aside slightly. Behind her I saw an old man with long white hair and a long beard of the same color standing from an ornate golden chair that sat at the center of the table. He was wearing dark red patchwork robes and a matching hat along with a pair of half-moon spectacles.

"I have a few start of term notices I wish to announce." Professor Dumbledore began in his soothing but powerful voice. "The first years, please note that the dark forest is strictly forbidden to all students. Also, our caretaker, Mr. Filch has asked me to remind you that the third floor corridor on the right hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a most painful death. Thank you" The professor sat down again and I returned my attention to Mcgonagall who had pulled out a parchment scroll.

"Now, when I call your name, you will come forth, I shall place the sorting hat on your head..." She picked up the old hat next to her before continuing. "And you will be sorted into your houses. Hermione Granger." She started immediately.

I watched as a girl made her way onto the stage to sit on the wooden stool. It was the same girl from the train who was helping Neville look for his toad. I heard the hat mumble to itself before loudly stating "Gryffindor!" I looked behind me when I heard shouting and cheering coming from one of the tables. All of the Gryffindor students were clapping and most were standing. I watched as the girl, Hermione, Skipped happily to the Gryffindor table and sat down, introducing herself to her new house mates.

"Draco Malfoy." I heard the professor call. I could see Draco looked a little nervous, but he hid it well as he left my side to sit in the stool. He sat down and the sorting hat barely touched a hair on his head before declaring "Slytherin!" Draco looked truly happy to be in the same house that he told me his father was in.

"There's not a witch or wizard who went bad who wasn't in Slytherin." I heard Ron whisper to Harry. I immediately thought of my father. I remember going through the box of what little stuff of his my mum had. I remember seeing a sweater with a crest that I only now can recognize as Slytherin. I remember the story Mum had told me many times now, about my father following one of the most evil wizards to ever live. And I worry for Draco. He was so nice to me on the train and I don't want him to turn evil.

Then I remember That my father fell in love with my mother, a muggle. He went against the dark lord's beliefs in the name of love. It cost him his life, but i think that means there might be hope for Draco. He just needs to find someone to be good for.

Professor Mcgonagall continued to call out names. "Ronald Weasley." I watched as Ron walked up to the stool hesitantly.

"Ha! Another Weasley." I heard the hat say, probably in reference to Ron's three older brothers that I could clearly see sitting at the Gryffindor table. "I know just what to do with you. Gryffindor!" Ron looked absolutely relieved. I could see and hear Ron's brothers cheering louder than the rest of the gryffindor table.

"Harry Potter." The entire room quieted in anticipation. I was standing next to Harry now. I gently squeezed his hand to wish him luck before he left my side to sit on the stool. I figured he'd need it. I heard some students whisper about Harry as soon as he got to the front. I even saw Professor Dumbledore lean forward a bit, curious as to which house he'd be sorted into. I saw the hat mumble a bit, going back and forth between Gryffindor and Slytherin until it finally came to a decision. "Gryffindor!" I watched as Harry went to sit next to Ron, who I could tell would become his best friend over the years. I watched as some of the students nearest him stood to shake his hand.

"Katrina Aldergrey." I heard my name being called. I walked to the front of the group and sat on the stool as the others had before me.

"Hmmmm." I heard the sorting hat say. "You are a very brave girl, and very smart and ambitious. But I can see you value friendship and loyalty above all else. Hufflepuff!"

When the professor removed the hat from my head, I skipped over to the hufflepuff table where all the students cheering were sat.

After everyone had been sorted and was seated with their houses, Professor Mcgonagall taped her spoon on her glass. "Your attention, please." She said it rather softly, but the hall still quieted significantly.

"Let the feast begin." Dumbledore said, spreading his arms slightly. That's when giant platters of food magically appeared before us and our plates filled with food. Large dishes of chicken, lamb, ribs, bowls of salad, corn, mashed potatoes, dinner rolls, and so much more food. Everyone immediately grabbed what they wanted and dug in.

Everyone around me was talking about their parents, or what they looked forward to the most at Hogwarts. All of a sudden There were ghosts flying around the great hall. A lot of them. I saw one ghost with a powdered wig swinging a sword as he floated down the length of the Slytherin table. I saw another bald ghost who looked to be a monk flailing his arms as he floated down the aisle behind me half sunken into the floor., making few students laugh. Behind me, I saw another ghost pop his head out of a pile of food at the Gryffindor table before talking to some of the students, asking about their summer. I saw him pull his head to the side, so that it was barely hanging onto his neck by a thread before he floated away.

I looked around at the other dozens of ghosts and phantoms flying around before turning to introduce myself to the girl next to me.


	5. The Common Room

Once dinner was over and we've all had our fill, it was time for us to head to our common rooms and dorms. The Hufflepuff house prefect, led us out of the great hall and down the stairs along with the Slytherins. The Gryffindors and Ravenclaws went upstairs. I waved goodbye to Draco as our houses parted ways, Slytherins going towards the dungeons, Hufflepuff towards the kitchens.

"Who was that?" asked the girl next to me, noticing my wave to Draco. It was the girl I had talked to during dinner, Rosalind Shadowhallow.

"That was Draco Malfoy." I told her. "I sat with him on the train. He seems very nice to me."

"He's kinda cute." Rosalind told me, giggling.

"Very cute." I agreed, giggling as well.

Avery, our house prefect, stopped in front of a stack of barrels next to the entrance to the kitchens. As she pulled out her wand, she explained to us that our password to enter our common room was to simply tap our wand on a specific barrel to the beat of "Helga Hufflepuff", the house namesake. Avery then demonstrated by doing just that. After a moment, we saw a passageway open. We followed Avery through the passageway and down the stairs hidden within as she explained that if we tapped the wrong barrel or to the wrong rhythm, we could get doused in vinegar.

At the bottom of the stairs, we were led down a small corridor to a perfectly round door. On the other side of the door, was an average sized space with low-ceilings. Near the door we just came through, there was a bulletin board with a few notices pinned to it. I saw one was a poster for Quidditch tryouts at the end of next week, the other simply a large sign welcoming us to Hogwarts and to Hufflepuff.

There was a banister on the other side of the space looking over a much larger area. The room beyond was round, with potted plants in nearly every crevice, and many clusters of black and yellow couches and armchairs. There were small circular windows placed evenly across the room, high up on the walls. We were led down a short flight of stairs into the larger space.

"Welcome to the Hufflepuff common room. The girls' dorms are through the door on your right, same for the boys on the left." Avery said to us. "You'll find all your belongings have already been delivered to your dormitories. You all are free to look around and get to know each other a bit more, but I would suggest heading to bed soon. Classes start first thing in the morning."

I decided to take some time to explore the common room a bit before heading to bed. The walls of the common room were bare stone with dark wooden framework going up into the rafters. The hardwood floors were covered in many different area rugs, all yellow with some kind of floral or vine pattern. There was a portrait of who I assumed to be Helga Hufflepuff hanging above the large fireplace. There were motifs everywhere of nature, plants and animals, most furniture being black and yellow or natural wood and stone. On one side of the common room, there was a decently sized bookshelf. Upon closer inspection, the books seemed to all be about plants and animals with a few cookbooks thrown in. Next to the bookcase was a long wooden table along with a few high backed chairs of the same wood.

I walked towards the girl's dormitories on the right side of the common room. The door leading to the dorms was a perfectly round door, much like the one we came through when we first entered the common room. Beyond the door was a corridor with many more round doors, all of them still open. I walked past a couple rooms before I found Rosalind. She was in the midst of unpacking her pyjamas from her truck. I entered the dorm she was in and found my luggage sitting at the foot of one of the four-poster beds.

The dorm room itself was round with 4 beds spread evenly along the curved wall. There were 4 small desks with a chair for each in between each bed. Each bed had a patchwork quilt in the house colors. There were more plants sitting on the windowsill of the four windows placed above each bed. There was also a large area rug in the centre of the room with the house crest. There were warm copper lamps around the room, one on either side of each bed.

The two other girls in the dorm had already turned off the lamps at their bedsides and gone to sleep. I walked over to the last bed which had my luggage. Sitting on the end of my bed, there had been placed a new Hufflepuff robe along with a dark grey sweater vest with a yellow stripe along and collar and a black and yellow tie with the house crest.

I moved the new uniform to sit on the desk next to my bed. I then moved to my large trunk at the foot of my bed to retrieve my pyjamas. Rosalind said goodnight to me before yawning and turning off her lights. I quickly changed before going to sleep as well, not before turning off my own bedside lights.


	6. First Day of Classes

It was time for my first class of the day, transfigurations with Professor Mcgonagall. I walked into the classroom with Rosalind and we made our way to the front. There were five rows of desks with three desks in each row. Each desk sat two people. Rosalind and I sat at the desk in the front row on the far left. I sat on the inside, Rosalind on my left. At the desk next to us, was Draco, Goyle on his left. I leaned over to Draco since class hasn’t started yet.  
“Good morning Draco,” I said to him. “How did you sleep?”  
“Quite well. You?”  
“Like a baby.” I told him. “It took Rosalind nearly ten minutes to wake me up this morning.”  
“Rosalind?” Draco clearly didn’t recognize her name.  
“Yes. Rosalind?” I turned to grab the girl’s attention to find her already watching me. “This is Draco Malfoy. Draco, meet Rosalind Shadowhallow.” I introduced.  
“Hi,” Rosalind greeted the blonde boy, who gave a small smile in return.  
“Alright, class,” Professor Mcgonagall walked in then. The room was nearly full, with only one empty desk in the front, on the other side of Draco and Goyle.  
After making her way to the front of the room, the professor gave us instructions. “First I’d like you to copy the translation of the Transfiguration Alphabet into your notes.” She gestured to the green chalkboard standing to the right of her large desk in front of us before continuing. “If this is difficult for any of you to see, the translation is on page 4 of your textbooks.”  
We all started copying the translation, some of us opening our textbooks to do so, but not before I saw Mcgonagall morph into a grey striped cat and jumped onto her large desk. She sat and watched us work.  
After a few minutes, I heard the door behind us being burst open. I turned to see Ron and Harry running into the room.  
“Whew, we made it,” I heard Ron sigh in relief. “Could you imagine the look on Mcgonagall’s face if we were late?” Well, you’re about to find out, Ron.  
I saw the professor jump off her desk and immediately shift back into her human form, walking up to the two boys.  
“That was bloody brilliant,” Ron complimented the professor.  
“Well thank you for that assessment, Mr. Weasley,” Mcgonagall started. “Perhaps it would be more useful if I were transfigure Mr. Potter and yourself into a pocket watch? That way, one of you might be on time.”  
“We got lost.” Harry explained.  
“Then perhaps a map? I trust you don’t need one to find your seats?” The boys sat down at the only open desk, visibly embarrassed.  
~ ~ ~ ~  
The door to the classroom burst open and a man quickly paced to the front of the room. He wore solid black robes and had shoulder length black hair that contrasted starkly with his pale complexion. “There will be no foolish wand-waving or silly incantations in the class.” The man, Professor Snape, said before turning to us. “As such, I don’t expect many of you to appreciate the subtle science and exact art that is potion making. However, for those select few,” Snape looked directly at the group of Slytherin students in the front and I could immediately tell there would be some house bias in this class. “Who possess the predisposition, I can teach you how to bewitch the mind and ensnare the senses. I can tell you how to bottle fame, brew glory, and even put a stopper in death.” I looked to my left to see Draco, a few seats down from me, with a look of awe on his face. House bias or not, I can already tell that potions will be one of his favourite classes.  
“Then again,” Snape continued. “Maybe some of you have come to Hogwarts in possession of abilities so formidable that you feel confident enough to not pay attention.” I looked to my other side to see Hermione, who was right next to me, nudge Harry with her elbow. I could clearly see that he had been writing down everything the professor had been saying. “Mr. Potter.” Snape spoke directly to Harry now. “Our new celebrity. Tell me what would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?”  
Hermione’s hand shot up but Harry just shook his head in response.  
“You don’t know? Well, let’s try again. Where, Mr. Potter, would you look if I asked you to find me a bezoar?”  
Once again, Hermione’s hand went straight in the air. “I don’t know, sir.” Harry said.  
“And what is the difference between monkshood and wolfsbane?”  
Hermione’s hand remained in the air. “I don’t know, sir.” Harry repeated.  
.”Pity.” Snape said. “Clearly, fame isn’t everything, is it, Mr. Potter?” I hesitantly raise my hand. “Yes, Ms. Aldergrey?”  
“I don’t mean any offense, sir, but isn’t that just a bit unfair?” Snape raised an eyebrow at me, clearly unhappy with what I had said. I continued, nonetheless. “Harry was simply taking notes. He’s been writing down nearly everything you’ve said since you entered the room.”  
Snape looked over at Harry’s open notes before saying, “Hmm. It appears you are correct, Ms. Aldergrey. Nevertheless, Mr. Potter should not be expecting any special treatment.”  
I don’t think he ever was, but I didn’t say anything this time, not wanting to upset the professor further. Harry smiled at me gratefully and I smiled back.  
~ ~ ~  
We were standing in one of the many courtyards on castle grounds in two long lines facing each other with brooms laying on the ground next to each of us. Rosalind was on my right, Harry on my left, with Hermione on his other side. Directly across from me was Draco, with Crabbe and Goyle on either side of him.  
Madame Hooch, our flying professor, quickly made her way towards us, walking in between the two lines we created. “Good afternoon, class.”  
“Good afternoon, Madame Hooch.” We all replied in sync.  
“Welcome to your first flying lesson. Well, what are you waiting for?” she asked us. “Everyone step up to the left side of their broomstick.” We all followed her instructions. “Stick your right hand over the broom and say, ‘up’.” Everyone, myself included, continuously said ‘up’ until our brooms were in our hands, no longer in sync. Harry’s broom came flying into his hand with his first try. Draco also got his up on his first try. He looked up at me and smirked. I smiled back and refocused on my broom, getting it up on the third try. I looked over to see Ron struggling a bit. Then, all of a sudden, his broom came flying up, missing his hand and wacking him in the face.  
“Now, once you’ve got hold of your broom, I want you to mount it and grip tight. You don’t want to be sliding off the end.” I mounted my broom, careful to not get my robe caught, and watched as Madame Hooch made her way back down the line. “When I blow my whistle, I want each of you to kick off from the ground, hard. Keep your brooms steady, hover for a moment, then lean forward slightly and touch back down. Own my whistle. 3. 2.” She blew her whistle.  
I saw Neville immediately lift off the ground. He seemed very frightened, as if he had no control over his broom, and started to fly forward.  
“Careful, Neville!” I shouted along with everyone else.  
Madame Hooch was shouting for him to touch back down. He may have been too far already, I faintly heard him yell for help. Neville’s broom hit the wall of the castle a few times then guided him straight to the ground before quickly pulling up and coming towards us. He wasn’t stopping, causing us all to jump out of the way so no one else gets hurt. I worriedly watched as Neville disappeared through an archway in the courtyard before reappearing over the wall and flying just above a statue at the top of the castle wall.  
Neville’s robe got caught on the large spear held by the statue, causing the boy to lose grip on his broom and dangle from the spear by his robes. I watched in fear as his robes ripped, causing him to fall four stories before his robes were caught once more, this time by an empty torch one story above the ground. He dangled for less than a minute before his arms slipped out of his robes and he fell to the hard ground in front of us.  
“Everyone out of the way!” I heard Madame Hooch shout, briskly making her way through the path we made for her to Neville. I heard her mention a broken wrist before helping Neville to his feet. “Everyone’s to keep their feet firmly on the ground while I take Mr. Longbottom to the hospital wing. Understand?” Madame Hooch made her way through the crowd once again, with an arm around Neville, leading him towards the hospital wing. “If I see a single broom in the air, the one riding it will find themselves out of Hogwarts before they can say ‘Quidditch’.”   
“Did you see his face?” Draco said as soon as the Professor was out of ear shot.”Maybe if the fat lump had given this a squeeze, he would’ve remembered to fall on his fat ass.” He held up a clear orb, which I recognized as the remembrall Neville had received from his Gran in the mail at lunch earlier today. I heard some people laugh at what Draco had said.  
I was about to say something when I heard Harry speak up. “Give it here, Malfoy.”  
“No.” Draco told him “I think I’ll leave it somewhere for Longbottom to find.” Malfoy mounted his broom and said “How ‘bout on the roof?” before taking off. “What’s the matter, Potter? A bit beyond your reach?” Draco taunted from the air. I saw as Harry started to mount his broom.  
“Harry, no way. You heard what Madame Hooch said.” Hermione tried to stop him. “Besides, you don’t even know how to fly.” Harry ignored the bushy haired girl and took off after Draco. “What. An. Idiot.” I heard Hermione say as she watched him.  
I watched from the ground as Harry and Draco faced each other in the air. Harry quickly flew forward, probably to reach for the remembrall. Draco held it just beyond his reach as Harry flew past him. Draco looked back at Harry before throwing the orb as far as he could. Harry went flying past Draco straight for the orb.  
Draco landed just a few feet from me. Crabbe and Goyle went up to him, laughing about what he had done. I followed after them to confront the platinum haired boy.  
“What exactly was that for, Draco?” I asked him, rather loudly and rather upset.  
“What? It was funny,” Draco said as if that was a valid excuse, Crabbe and Goyle nodding in agreement.  
“No, it wasn’t,” I scolded him. “It was mean, and completely uncalled for. How would you like it if someone had taken something your father had given you and threw it across castle grounds on a broom?”  
“I wouldn’t like it one bit,” He told me reluctantly.  
“That’s what I thought.” And with that, I turned to walk away.  
“Wait, Katrina!” Draco called after me so I’d turn back to him. “I’m sorry.”  
“I’m not the one you need to apologize to.” I turned away again to see Harry come flying back to the class, everyone surrounding him, cheering, as he landed. I saw Professor Mcgonagall walk towards the crowd. She called for Harry to follow her before walking back to the castle.


	7. Hallowe'en and Quidditch

I was walking in one of the courtyards of the castle with Rosalind. We had been at Hogwarts for a couple months now, and I’m absolutely loving it.  
Our Charms lesson had just ended, so the whole class was in the courtyard with us. I looked to the side to see Seamus with soot still covering his face. He had blown something up again in class.  
I looked to my other side to see Draco walking toward us. I had mostly forgiven him for what he had done to Neville. Only after I had dragged him to the hospital wing to check up on the poor Gryffindor boy. Draco has also been a bit nicer to those around him lately, at least when I’m around.  
“Hi, Draco,” Rosalind and I greeted the boy. Crabbe and Goyle followed shortly behind him and we greeted them as well.  
“Nice work in class today, Katrina,” Draco told me. He said it kind of snobbishly, but I’ve learned that’s just how he talks and I know when he means well.  
“Thanks, Draco. You did well, too.” I told him. “You guys did great as well.” I directed the compliment towards Crabbe and Goyle. “I was really impressed with your technique, Goyle.” Crabbe looked at me with a giant smile on his face, happy with the compliment. Goyle, on the other hand, looked away rather sheepish, clearly not used to being praised. They really can be nice boys once you get to know them.  
“Well we have to get to our next class,” Rosalind informed them. “We’ll see you boys at dinner?” They nodded before saying their goodbyes to us and we headed off to class.  
~ ~ ~  
Rosalind and I made our way into the great hall for dinner. There were jack-o-lanterns floating all around the room, and the night sky looked beautiful on the enchanted ceiling. After dinner, the platters were filled with some of the usual dessert options, as well as enough sweets to make even a dementor happy. The tables were covered with muggle sweets such as chocolate coins and jawbreakers as well as wizards sweets like Pumpkin Pasties, Fudge Flies, and Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Beans.  
The main door to the great hall slammed open and Professor Quirrell came running in. “Troll! In the dungeon! Troll in the Dungeon!!” Quirrell shouted, stopping halfway down the hall, every head turned to him. “Thought you ought to know.” He said before fainting.  
Everyone was screaming in fear and started to run before Dumbledore was heard in his booming voice. “SILENCE!” We all immediately stopped and looked back at the headmaster. “Everyone will please not panic. Now, Prefects will lead their house back to the dormitories. Teachers will follow me to the dungeons.”  
“Hufflepuffs, this way!” I heard Avery call out, similar shouts coming from prefects of the other houses.  
I had started to follow Avery along with the other Hufflepuffs when I remembered something important. The Slytherin dorms are in the dungeon. Where the troll is. I suddenly got very worried for Draco and the other Slytherins. I desperately wanted to go and make sure they were all alright.  
“Katrina!” I heard Rosalind call after me, grabbing my hand. “Where are you going?”  
“The Slytherins are going to their dorms in the dungeon where the troll is,” I explained my worries to her. “Don’t get me wrong, I wholeheartedly believe that the professors have got it all under control, but I have to make sure they’re alright.”  
“I’ll come with you.” Ros offered.  
“No, it’s too dangerous. I don’t need you potentially getting hurt, too. You’re my best friend.”  
“I understand, but please, be careful!” She reluctantly let go of my hand.  
I managed to find my way towards the dungeons without anyone seeing me. I saw the large group of Slytherins going into an opening in a large, otherwise bare wall. My eyes immediately landed on a head of stark white hair at the back of the group. I quickly rearranged my robes to hide my house crest and ran towards Draco, pulling slightly on his arm. I clearly startled him, as he jumped before quickly turning to me, fear thinly veiled. His relief was clear when he realized it was me, before he became confused.  
“Katrina? What are you doing down here?” He questioned me in a hushed tone, to not bring any attention to us.  
“I wanted to make sure you were alright.” I told him truthfully. “Professor Quirrell said the troll was in the dungeon. I know this is the only way to get to your common room.”  
Draco seemed to hesitate a bit before hugging me close. “I appreciate the thought, Katrina, I really do.” He let go of me, holding me at arm’s length. “But what exactly were you going to do if there was trouble?” I looked down at our feet, sheepish. I hadn’t thought of that. “That’s what I thought.” His hands moved down my arms to hold my cold hands. “Luckily some of the professors had already checked the dungeons for danger. There is no troll down here. At least not anymore.” My face clearly showed relief as I looked back up at him  
“Please, Katrina. Don’t put yourself in danger like that again, especially for my sake. You’re one of my only friends, and I don’t want to lose you.” My confusion surely showed on my face. This was very out of character for Draco to say. “But if you tell anyone this, I will deny it.” I smiled at that, lightly laughing. That was the Draco I know.  
I hugged him once more as a way of letting him know I wouldn’t tell. “I’m just happy you’re safe.”  
“Now please, go back to your common room before someone finds you down here. And be safe.” After saying goodnight to Draco, I hurriedly made my way back to my own common room safely and without getting caught.  
~ ~ ~  
“Hello, and welcome Hogwarts’ first Quidditch game of the season.” Lee Jordan, the commentator from Gryffindor said into the microphone. I watched as both teams came flying into the quidditch pitch on their brooms, flying around stands, some of the older players waving to their friends and other spectators. “Today’s game- Slytherin versus Gryffindor!” Nearly everyone in the stands cheered, Gryffindor and Slytherin especially cheering for their respective teams.  
“The players take their positions as Madame Hooch steps out onto the field to begin the game!” Lee continued as the teams gathered in a circle in the middle of the field, seekers facing each other a bit above the other players. Madame Hooch walked to the trunk in the middle of the pitch to release the balls. “The bludgers are up, followed by the golden snitch. Remember, the snitch is worth 150 points. The seeker who catches the nithc ends the game. The quaffle is released,” Madame Hooch throws the oddly shaped ball up into the centre of the circle of players, “And the game begins!”  
I watched the players fly around, one girl keeping the quaffle tucked under her arm, dodging the opposing team the entire time until she threw the ball through the centre goalpost. “Angelina Johnson scores! 10 points for gryffindor!” The fast paced game continues with Lee commentating. “Slytherin takes possession of the quaffle. Bletchley passes to captain Marcus Flint.” I watch as Flint throws the quaffle, only for it to be blocked by the Gryffindor keeper, Oliver Wood. “Another 10 points to gryffindor!”  
The game continues until I see Oliver Wood knocked out by a bludger. I watched as he went flying off his broom, hitting a goal post before falling straight down into sand at the base of the goal posts. I then watched as the slytherin team took advantage of this opportunity to score. I watched as two Slytherin players trapped a Gryffidor player, who I recognized as Angelina< between them, forcefully guiding her towards one of the towers of the stands. They flew off right at the last second, causing her to fly straight into an opening in the stand. She disappeared until I saw her reappear at the bottom of the stands, now unconscious. During this, Slytherin scored another 10 points.  
Then, all of a sudden, one of the Gryffindor players seemed to lose all control of his broom. Even though he was thrashing about, I somehow recognized the messy brown hair that belonged to Harry. “What’s going on with his broom?!” I asked aloud in worry. I quickly turned to the boy next to me, who happened to be a quidditch player for Hufflepuff. “Is that a normal thing to happen in this game? Tell me that’s a normal thing to happen!” I demanded. The boy just looked at me with worry before slightly shaking his head ‘no’ then turning back to watch. I turned back as well only to Harry dangling from his broom by one hand. He managed to grab on with his other hand as well before his broom started going back and forth, almost as if it was sentient and was trying to shake him off.  
Finally, Harry’s broom stopped shaking about and he was able to swing himself back onto his broom and continue the game. A sigh of relief left my lips as my worry slightly lessened for my friend. My worry quickly peaked again as I watched Harry dive towards the ground on his broom before curving back up at the last possible second. He then stood on his broom with one arm out, I’m assuming to reach for the tiny snitch that I couldn’t see. He took a step forward on his broom before falling off entirely. Luckily he was only about a metre off the ground now, so he rolled back up into a standing position pretty quickly. As soon as he was up, however, he looked as if he was going to be sick, with his hands over his stomach. Something shot out of his mouth, which he quickly caught in both hands.  
“He’s got the snitch!” Lee announces. “Harry Potter receives 150 points for catching the snitch.”  
Madame Hooch blows her whistle before declaring “Gryffindor Wins!” Everyone cheered, except for most of Slytherin house. I was just happy that Harry was alright.


	8. The Sorcerer's Stone and Unicorn Blood

We had been back at Hogwarts after Christmas break for a couple of weeks now. I was in the library studying with Harry and Ron when suddenly I heard Hermione’s voice.  
“I had you looking in the wrong section. How could I be so stupid?” The bushy haired girl came up to the chair next to me, across from the boys at the table, and slammed down a leatherbound book. It was a rather large book, though not as thick as some of the books on the shelves surrounding us. “I checked this out weeks ago for a bit of light reading” Hermione said as she sat down on my left side.  
“This is light?” Ron asked incredulously, as if he’s never read a book in his free time before in his life. I saw Hermione glare up at the boy while flipping through the pages.  
“Oh course, here it is!” Mione said when she found the right page. “Nicholas Flamel is the only known maker of the sorcerer’s stone.”  
“The what?” Harry Ron and I asked simultaneously.  
“Honestly, don’t you three read?” She asked us in slight annoyance. “ ‘The sorcerer’s stone is a legendary substance with astonishing powers. It can transform any metal into pure gold and produces the elixir of life, which will make the drinker immortal.’ “ Hermione read aloud from the book.  
“Immortal?” Ron questioned.  
“It means you’ll never die.” Mione answered him, patiently.  
“I know what it means!” Ron said, defensively before Harry and I shushed him.  
“ ‘The only stone currently in existence,” Mione continued reading, “belongs to Mr. Nicholas Flamel, the noted alchemist, who last year celebrated his 665th birthday.’ That’s what Fluffy’s guarding on the third floor. That’s what’s under the trapdoor - The sorcerer’s stone.”  
“I’m sorry?” I was completely lost now. “What trapdoor? And who’s Fluffy?” I looked around the table suspiciously. The three of them looked to each other as if realizing they let me find out something no one else was supposed to know. “You can tell me. I promise I won’t mention it to anyone.”  
“Fluffy is this giant three headed dog.” Harry at least gave in very quickly, Ron and Hermione briefly looking at him like he was insane. “We ran into him in a room on the third floor-”  
“The third floor corridor that is strictly off limits?” I asked, cutting him off. He merely nodded. “Well I guess now I know why it’s off limits.” I mumbled before letting the group continue.  
“Fluffy was asleep when we found him, but we left before he could wake up.” Ron started. “Hermione here is the only one who noticed a trapdoor under the dog. She figured he was hiding or protecting something.”  
“When we confronted Hagrid about a giant dog in the castle, he let slip the name Nicholas Flamel.” Hermione continued. “Hagrid said that what Fluffy was protecting was between Flamel and Dumbledore. We’ve been trying to figure out who Nicholas Flamel is ever since.”  
“And the troll that was in the castle on Halloween?” Harry asked if I remembered it, to which I nodded. “I think it was let in as a distraction. For Snape to try to steal whatever Fluffy is guarding. We saw Snape later that night and his robes were torn, his leg covered in blood. He was limping the next day.”  
“Then, at the quidditch match, when Harry’s broom started acting of its own accord?” Hermione was nearly whispering now. “I was Snape hexing the broom. He made full eye contact the whole time until I set the corner of his robe on fire. That made him break eye contact and Harry’s broom went back to normal.”  
“Well, now that we know who Nicholas Flamel is and what Fluffy is hiding, how about we go see if Hagrid would be willing to tell us anything else?” I asked the group before getting up.   
We waited until after dark to sneak out of the castle and quickly make our way to Hagrid’s hut.  
Harry knocked on the door, the three of us behind him. “Oh, hello.” Hagrid said after opening the door, seeing us standing there. “Sorry, don’t wish to be rude, but I’m in no fit state to entertain today.” Hagrid spoke quickly before starting to close the door on us.  
“We know about the sorcerer’s stone!” We all said at once, grabbing his attention once more.  
He swung the door open again before walking back into his hut. We followed him in.  
“We think Snape's trying to steal it.” Harry informed the half giant while we took off our outer robes.  
“Snape?” Hagrid questioned. “Blimey, you’re not still on about him, are you?”  
The four of us took seats around the room. Hermione in an armchair much too big for her, Harry Ron and I on a couch, a very large black furred dog between Ron and I.  
“Hagrid, we know he’s after the stone.” Harry insisted. “We just don’t know why.”  
“Snape is one of the teachers protecting the stone. He’s not about to steal it.”  
“What?”  
“You heard. Right. Come on now. I’m a bit preoccupied today.”  
“Wait a minute. One of the teachers?” Harry asked for clarification.  
“Of course!” Hermione stated. “There are other things defending the stone, aren’t there? Spells, enchantments.”  
“That’s right.” Hagrid told us. “Waste of bloody time, if you ask me. Ain’t no one gonna get past Fluffy. Ain’t a soul knows how, except for me and Dumbledore.” Hagrid paused before quickly realizing what he had said. “I shouldn't have toddler you that. I should not have told you that.” He mumbled quietly to himself.  
There was a rattling coming from the pot in the fireplace behind him. Hagrid turned and took a round object out of the pot with his oven mitt-clad hands. He quickly took it over to his small round dining table while exclaiming from the heat emitting from the object. We followed him to stand around the table.  
“Uh, Hagrid, what exactly is that?” Harry asked the man.  
“That? It’s a.. It’s, um….”  
“I know what that is!” Ron and I exclaimed at the same time. “But, Hagrid, how did you get one?” Ron questioned the halfbreed.  
“I won it off a stranger I met down at the pub. Seemed quite glad to be rid of it, as a matter of fact.” While we were talking, the object, which Ron and I recognized to be a dragon egg, had been wobbling slightly, clearly ready to hatch. The egg started to make a cracking sound. We all looked towards it before shielding our eyes briefly from the flying pieces of eggshell as the baby dragon burst out.  
“Is that,” Hermione asked in disbelief, looking at Hagrid “a dragon?”  
“That’s not just a dragon.” Ron told her. “That’s a Norwegian Ridgeback. My brother Charlie works with these in Romania.”  
“Isn’t he beautiful?” Hagrid asked, clearly already full of love for the creature. I merely nodded, I never thought I’d see one in real life. “Oh, bless him. Look, he knows his mummy.” Hagrid chuckled slightly at the newborn beast. “‘Ello Norbert.” Hagrid reached out to tickle the dragon under the chin.  
“Norbert?” Harry asked.  
“Yeah, well, he’s got to have a name, doesn't he?” Hagrid looked at Harry before looking back down at Norbert. “Don’t you Norbert?”  
Norbert seemed to hiccup, blasting a small ball of fire at Hagrid, setting his beard aflame.  
“Well, he’ll have to be trained up a bit, of course.” Hagrid said offhandedly while patting out the embers in his beard. Hagrid glanced behind us before asking, “Whose that?”  
We all looked over, out the small window to see Draco looking back at us before quickly running away.  
“Malfoy.” Harry said.  
“Oh dear” Hagrid seemed shocked. Probably worried about what would happen to Norbert if anyone found out about him.  
“Hagrid always wanted a dragon.” Harry told us as we made our way back into the castle. “Told me so the first time I ever met him.”  
“It’s crazy.” Ron commented. “And worse, Malfoy knows.”  
“I don’t understand. Is that bad?” Harry asked, clearly not understanding.  
“It’s bad” Ron and I both said.  
“Good evening.” Professor Mcgonagall was standing in front of us, candle holder in hand. I saw Draco come out from behind the professor. I saw just a hint of guilt on his face. “Follow me.” The professor said before leading us to her office, Draco just behind.  
“Nothing, I repeat, nothing gives a student the right to walk about the school at night.” Mcgonagall reprimanded us. “Therefore, as punishment for your actions, 50 points will be taken.”  
“50?” Harry asked in disbelief.  
“Each.” The professor confirmed. “And to ensure it doesn’t happen again, all five of you will receive detention.”  
“Excuse me, professor.” Draco came up to her desk from his place off to the side. “Perhaps I heard you wrong. I thought you said the five of us.”  
“No, you heard me correctly, Mr. Malfoy.” The professor told him. “You see, honorable as your intentions were, you too were out of bed after hours. You will join your classmates in detention.” Draco sent a glare toward Harry, his gaze softening slightly when it gets to me.  
~ ~ ~  
I was dark once again as the five of us followed Mr. Filch out of the castle toward our detention. “A pity they let the old punishments die.” Filch told us. “There was a time detention would find you hanging by your things in the dungeons. God, I miss the screaming.”  
We made our way towards Hagrid’s hut at the edge of school grounds. “You’ll be serving detention with Hagrid tonight.” Filch told us as we walked towards Hagrid, who had just come out of his hut with a lantern in his hand, similar to the one in Filch’s. “He’s got a little job to do inside the dark forest. A sorry lot, this, Hagrid.” Filch spoke to Hagrid now. “Oh, good god, man. You’re not still on about that bloody dragon are you?”  
Sniffling, Hagrid spoke to us. “Norbert’s gone. Dumbledore sent him off to Romania to live in a colony.”  
“Well, that’s good, isn’t it?” Hermione asked. “He’ll be with his own kind.”  
“Yeah, but what if he don’t like Romania?” Hagrid voiced his worries. “What if the other dragons are mean to him? He’s only a baby, after all.”  
“Oh, for god’s sake, pull yourself together, man. You’re going into the forest, after all. Got to have your wits about you.” Filch told him. Within five minutes I’ve already gathered that Mr. Filch isn’t one for sentiment. I think the only thing he cares about is his cat.  
“The forest? I thought that was a joke.” Draco said. I would sense the worry in his voice. “We can’t go in there. Students aren’t allowed. And there are-” Howling cut him off, coming from somewhere deep in the forest. “Werewolves!”  
“There’s more than werewolves in those trees, lad. You can be sure of that. Nighty-night.” Filch said to us before making his way back to the castle.  
“Right. Let’s go.” Hagrid said, drawing our attention to him as he headed towards the forbidden forest. Harry, Ron and Hermione followed first, then Draco and I.  
“Don’t mind Filch.” I said quietly to Draco. “He’s just trying to scare us. There’s no way Hagrid would take us into the forest unless it was relatively safe.”  
“I’m sorry.” I heard Draco mumble to me. “I didn’t mean for you to get into trouble. I didn’t even know you were with them.”  
We’ve been walking for quite some time now when Hagrid stopped and knelt in front of a fallen tree. He stood back up with some sort of sticky, silvery substance on his fingers.  
“Hagrid, What is that?” Harry asked.  
“What we’re here for. See that?” Hagrid showed us the substance covering his fingers. “That’s unicorn blood, that is. I found one dead a few weeks ago. Now, this one’s been hurt bad by something.” He paused for a bit and there was more distant howling. “So, it’s our job to go and find the poor beast. Ron, Hermione, you’ll come with me.”  
“Ok…” Ron said, trying to hide his fear.  
“And, Harry, you’ll go with Malfoy and Katrina.”  
“Ok, then we get Fang.” Draco insisted.  
“Fine.” Hagrid agreed. “Just so’s you know, he’s a bloody coward. I reached over to pet the whining dog.  
We have been walking mindlessly for about five minutes before Draco spoke up. “You wait till my father hears about this. This is servant’s stuff.”  
“If I didn’t know better, Draco,” Harry said, clearly exasperated with the boy already. “I’d say you were scared.”  
“Scared, Potter?” Draco said incredulously. There was more distant howling and Draco quickly turned his head. “Do you hear that? Come on, Fang.” He called to the dog.  
Fang was a little bit ahead of us when he stopped suddenly. The three of us caught up to him and I heard him growling.  
“What is it, Fang” I knelt down next to Fang as I asked him the question. I glanced up at the boys who were breathing heavily. They seemed to be frozen on the spot, staring straight ahead. Harry gasped and started rubbing his forehead, where I knew his scar to be. I stood up and looked in the direction they were looking. I saw some sort of cloaked being hovering over a unicorn. It looked up, finally noticing our presence. Draco yelled and grabbed my hand before running in the opposite direction, pulling me along, Fang already running ahead of us. Draco and I yelled for Hagrid to help.  
We found him within minutes, Ron and Hermione by his side. Very quickly and out of breath, we explained to them what had happened, each of us pulling on his sleeve in the direction we came from. Once they understood what we were going on about, they ran after us.  
“Harry!” Hermione exclaimed in relief when we found him and saw he was alright.  
“Hello there, Firenze.” Hagrid greeted the Centaur that Harry was speaking to. “I see you’ve met our young Mr. Potter. You alright there, Harry?” Harry just nodded before looking back at the centaur, Firenze, who said something to the boy before walking off, deeper into the forest.


End file.
